Tell Me How I'm Gonna Make Ends Meet
by mush14meyers
Summary: Aces runs away to New York City after trying to escape the past. With a few big secrets that need to be kept hidden, Aces finds it's not so easy when the Newsies come into the picture.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the newsies except for Aces.

START

June 14, 1900. It was everything I'd heard about it and better. The buildings were taller than anything I had ever seen before. There were people everywhere. You couldn't walk down the street without someone bumping into your shoulder every block. Everyone seemed to know exactly what they had to do and where they had to go.

As I walked down the street, I silently read off the names of the stores. _Petersen Books, Agetha's Pawn Shop, The Manhattan Market, Local Eatery, Fine China & Antiques, Bread Bakery, The Wardrobe Shoppe, Stefano's Diner & Restaurant, Fresh Flowers..._ The city had everything, every kind of store, shop, or restaurant you could think of, all in one place.

I remembered my brother's words. _Get out of here... Fast_. He said. _I don't care where you go, just go quickly and keep a low profile_.

I chose New York City. I had wanted to go there ever since the Newsie Strike less than a year ago. I found it intriguing, reading about it in every newspaper article I could find. Ever since a group of newsboys had defeated one of the most powerful adults in the city, I wondered what it would be like to be one of them.

Now was my chance. I scanned the crowd, searching for a newsie among the people that ranged from aristocrats to immigrants. A few young boys ran past me, yelling headlines, but I didn't bother getting their attention. I needed someone older, someone who knew what they were talking about.

I spotted a boy around 16 years of age. He was sitting on the curb, flipping through a newspaper and oblivious to the passing crowds. I approached him, shoving my hands deep in my pockets. "You a newsie?" I asked in a soft voice.

He looked up and squinted against the setting sun to see me. "Was it da hat or da pile of newspapers dat gave it away?" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. When I didn't answer, he sighed and picked up his papes so he could stand. "Yeah. I am. What's it to ya?"

I shrugged. "I'm lookin' for a job." I replied simply. He eyed my clothes. "Ya dress like you'se already a newsie, kid." He told me. I shook my head and waited for him to say something else.

"I might be able to help ya. Lemme jus' sell da last of me papes. I'll meet ya at da statue over there in ten minutes, a'right?" He instructed, pointing to a figure of a man that was built into the middle of the cobblestone road. He was sitting in a chair and had a plaque below him that I couldn't read due the far distance. I nodded and began walking over to it. "I'm Pie Eater, by da way." He called after me.

"So ya don't say much, do ya?" Pie Eater asked. On the way to wherever we were going, he carried the conversation while I said no more than five words. I shrugged, simply proving his point even more.

We stopped in front of a narrow but tall building. There were two lamps on either side of the green door. The pale yellow lettering above the doorway said "Newsboys Lodging House."

He climbed the stairs and turned the doorknob. I followed him into a large room filled with boys. They chatted noisily and joked around. Every few seconds one would get punched or kicked or smacked or shoved off a couch as they playfully horsed around.

Pie Eater caught the attention of a particular guy sitting across the room, who looked like one of the older newsies. Pie Eater beckoned him over, and as he stood his tallness seemed to add to his age. The boy took his time crossing the room and I took this opportunity to take in his appearance.

He wore a dark vest, pants, and a cowboy hat that hung against his back. The only color on his clothes was a faded red bandana tied around his neck. "How's it goin', Pie Eater?" he said. Pie Eater shrugged. "A'right, I guess, Jack." He replied. _Couldn't be... could it? Jack Kelly... Leader of the 1899 Newsboys' Strike. He looked exactly like the picture in the newspapers..._

Listen, dis guy's lookin' for a job. Told him I might be able to help." Pie Eater said. Jack turned to me. "Ya got a place to stay, kid?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"A'right. Well, you'se welcome to stay heah if ya want. We'se got a few extra bunks, I think. It's a nickel a week, 'nd udder than dat you'se jus' gotta sell papes to stay in dis place. I'se Jack Kelly, by da way. Me nicknames Cowboy, so ya can call me dat too." He said. I had somehow managed to land myself in this particular lodging house, with the newsies who started the whole strike. I was about to tell him that I already knew who he was, but I stopped myself. I had to get used to holding my tongue around here.

Jack spit in his hand and held it out to me. Without hesitation, I did the same and shook with him. When the handshake broke, he pointed to a desk with an old man sitting behind it. "Dat old guy over dere is Kloppman. Caretaker 'round heah. He jus' needs some information 'bout ya. Likes to know who's stayin' 'nd who's goin'." Jack told me. I paused, starting to grow nervous. Jack never said that giving information about myself was part of the deal.

He saw the anxious expression on my face. "Don't worry. I always thought Kloppman was a lil' crazed up, but he ain't gonna bite ya or nuttin'." He said, shoving me forward. I stumbled over my feet, but quickly regained my balance and walked to the desk.

The old man looked up and smiled behind his round glasses. "You'se stayin' da night?" He asked. I nodded quickly. "A'right, let's see here, let's see..." he mumbled, sliding a large book towards him. He opened it and flipped through the pages until he came to one with blank lines. "Now, what's your name, son?" He asked.

I began to panic. I'd forgotten to think of a fake name. I couldn't say my real one. It would give away the biggest secret I had to keep hidden. Kloppman saw the worry on my face. "A nickname is fine, too..." he offered. I shoved my hands into my pockets as a nervous habit.

I could feel my fist clutch around my deck of cards. I carried it everywhere with me. Playing cards was the one thing I did to pass the time when there was nothing else to do. "Aces." I replied, thinking quickly. He nodded and scribbled the nickname down on the line. "And the date is... uh, June 14..." he thought out loud. "A'right, dat's all for now." I sighed in relief. _That wasn't that bad... _I told myself.

"So, Aces, huh?" Jack said. I looked to the right of me and saw that he was leaning an elbow on the desk. I nodded. "Welcome to ya new home, I guess. Dis is da lobby, where we basically spend most of our free time. You'll see da bunk room later on tonight. For now, ya can jus' hang 'round heah." Jack went back over to join his friends.

I spotted a few empty chairs in the far end of the room. I walked next to the wall unnoticeably to get across the room, that way I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. I sat in one of the chairs and turned the other one around so it acted as a table. Taking the warn out cards out of my pocket, I skillfully shuffled them and began to deal myself into a game of solitaire.

I lost a few games, running out of moves quickly. Sighing, I collected the cards and shuffled them again to start my fourth game.

"Race, don't stand over him like dat! You'se gonna creep him out!" One of the newsies said loudly. Suddenly sensing that someone was behind me, I turned around in the seat. A boy was leaning on the back of my chair, looking down at the cards. His eyes met mine and he smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to breathe down ya neck or nuttin'." His New York accent was heavier than the others'.

By the looks of it, he was mostly Italian. He had short brown hair that barely stuck out in the front from under his cap.

When I didn't respond, he continued talking. "Difficult game, ain't it?" he said. "Da odds of winnin' a solitaire game are 'bout one in twenty." He told me. I still stared blankly at him. He put up his hands. "A'right, sheesh... I'm leavin'." He walked back to the other newsies, muttering something about how I wasn't too friendly.

So that's the first chapter. Thanks so much for reading. If you guys get a chance, please review. I wanna know how you like it. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the newsies in this story except for Aces.

The next day was definitely not a walk in the park for me. At least not the first part of the day, anyway. I wasn't exactly prepared for an old guy screaming wake-up calls at the top of his lungs at 5:30 in the morning. I was the last one to leave the lodging house. It took me nearly 20 minutes to find the circulation desk and I barely made it in time before they closed.

By the time it was late afternoon, I had sold a grand total of 12 papers. Discouraged, I dropped down into a sitting position on the curb. The newsies made it look extremely simple, but in reality it was a huge challenge to get someone to stop and buy a paper.

I happened to look up and notice someone familiar across the street. The Italian boy who was looking over my shoulder while I played cards the day before. I watched him as he expertly sold his papers, shouting headlines and handing out newspapers. _Couldn't hurt to ask him for some help..._ I thought.

He sold a decent amount of papes and began to walk to another area. I opened my mouth to shout out his name, but found I couldn't recall it. _Dammit... A boy said his name yesterday. Ugh, what was it? Relay? No, that wasn't it..."_

He was quickly starting to disappear into the crowd. I jumped to my feet and ran after him. "Uh, Hey! Kid with the cigar!" I yelled. He quit walking and turned around. "Me?" he asked. I nodded and stopped jogging a few feet away from him.

"Look. Me names Racetrack Higgins. You can call me 'Racetrack', or 'Race', or maybe even 'Track'. Hell, you'se can call me 'Higgins' if ya want. But 'Kid wit da cigar' ain't gonna cut it." He retorted. I grinned and started to laugh, but I choked it back.

"So you'se da new kid, Aces... right?" He asked. His eyes wandered down to the papers I was holding under my arm. "Havin' a tough time sellin'?" He added. I nodded.

"I'll help ya, if you want..." Racetrack offered. I shrugged but kept my mouth shut. He assumed that it meant yes, because with a simple "Come on" he motioned for me to follow him.

He led me to a block where vendors and stands were lined up one after another. People had to yell to be heard over the noise of the street. It was pure disorder as people stood shoulder to shoulder at the stands, browsing and paying for their goods.

"Dis is a great place to start." He told me. Race didn't wait for a response, catching on to the fact that I barely said a word unless I had to. In between selling papers, he would point out tips and rules. I made mental notes of them.

1. There's no such thing as being too loud.

2. A headline can always use improving, unless it has everything including murder, plague, scandal, and the word "nude."

3. You will never find a headline that has everything including murder, plague, scandal, and the word "nude."

4. If the customer opens up the newspaper to check if you lied about the headlines, run. Fast.

5. Large crowds always mean good sales.

6. Steer clear of the bulls. They'll use just about any excuse to get a newsie in trouble. Speaking of which, whistles are bad.

7. It never hurts to have a wide vocabulary. Catchy words can make a headline.

8. The more pathetic-looking, the better.

9. Target a certain group of customers, depending on who's walking by. Girls like gossip. Guys like blood...and sports.

10. The morning edition always sells more than the afternoon edition.

11. Here's your motivation: Get rid of the papers if you want to eat.

After selling with me for about 15 minutes, Race told me he had somewhere to be. Patting me on the back, he assured me that I was going to be an alright newsie. He lit up his cigar again and walked down the sidewalk.

Racetrack's Point Of View 

_How can he expect to sell papes if he don't even wanna open his mouth to mutter a headline?_ I asked myself, while making the familiar walk to Tibby's Restaurant.

When I walked in the door, the guys were already there. Dutchy, Bumlets, Skittery, Mush, and Blink waved me over to the table. "Where ya been, Race? I said to meet heah for dinner, not a midnight snack..." Blink said, grinning as usual.

I shot him a glare and sat down at the only empty seat at the table. "Aw, can it Blink. He's only 'bout 20 minutes late." Skittery replied. I shrugged, picking up a menu and scanning it with my eyes. "I was helpin' da new kid sell papes." I explained. "He was havin' a tough time wit it."

"Wait... Aces? Ya mean ya actually got him to talk to ya?" Mush asked, raising his eyebrow. I nodded. "Well, sorta... He called me 'hey, kid wit da cigar'." I said. The guys found that hysterical.

"Dat kid's real weird, though..." Skittery said. "He don't talk to nobody." I shrugged. "Ah, give da kid a break. He's probably jus' shy." Bumlets gave me a strange look. "Race... Did ya happen to see him last night? Da guy sleeps in his full clothes. Hat 'nd everything."

"So he's probably jus' a little self-conscious. I bet it's jus' because he's new 'round heah. Give it a week, 'nd he'll be jus' like da rest of us." I replied.

Thanks for reading, guys. Please review if you can.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi there. Sorry it's been so long, guys. I was having trouble uploading. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it so much!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the newsies except for Aces

Oh well. START.

Racetrack's Point Of View

The next day, Kloppman woke us up at 5:30 on the dot like he did every day. You'd think after four years of waking up at the same time, I'd get used to it.

Not a chance. I rolled groggily out of bed, feeling worse than I usually did. As my feet touched the floor, I noticed my muscles all ached. Then something hit me hard in the middle of the face. "Ow!" I growled. It was Blink, coming down from his bunk above mine. He had accidentally kicked me in the nose with his foot. "Woops, sorry Race... Didn't see ya there..." he apologized.

I groaned and stood up, dragging myself towards the washroom. Everyone else was already up and getting ready. Except for Aces. He was still sitting on his bed cross-legged, leaning against the headboard. I watched him for a few seconds as he dealt out a game of solitaire on top of the blankets in front of him.

"Uh... You'se playin' cards? Now?" I asked him. He glanced up and shrugged at me. "Don't ya gotta, like, get ready 'nd stuff?" I said. This time he nodded. "So shouldn't ya go do dat? You'se gonna end up bein' late..." I told him.

"I'll be fine." He muttered, returning to his game. I don't think he understood the fact that if he was late he would lose his chance to sell this morning. I gave up explaining it to him. I had a huge headache as it was.

"What's a'matter, Race? Ya look awful..." Specs said as I entered the wash room. "Gee, thanks." I replied, approaching the sinks and splashing water on my face. "No, dat's not what I mean... I mean ya look sick or somethin'."

I shrugged, grabbing a towel. "I think I'se jus' tired. Maybe I'll come straight heah after sellin', instead of goin' to da races. Jus' need some extra sleep, dat's all." I told him.

We heard Kloppman's yelling from downstairs, telling us to hurry it up. The newsies all headed for the door, grabbing their hats and money for buying papes on the way. As I passed his bunk, I noticed Aces was still involved in a card game. I sighed to myself. _Skittery's right... he is a strange kid._

The newsies stampeded down the staircase. Kloppman did a headcount as they passed him, making sure everyone was there. I lagged behind and was the last to get to the bottom of the stairs. As I dragged myself towards the door, someone grabbed the collar of my shirt from behind.

"Not so fast, Racetrack..." Kloppman muttered. "Hey! Let go of me, will ya?!" I said, trying to swat his hand away. "Ya look terrible..." Kloppman said, finally letting go. I brushed off my shirt. "Yeah, so I've been told." I replied in a bored tone.

He put his hand up to my forehead. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, feeling like a little kid. "You ain't sellin' today." He decided finally. My mouth dropped open. "But! Tonight's Monday... dats when ya collect da nickel for stayin' in da lodgin' house, 'nd I don't got da money yet!" I exclaimed.

Kloppman laughed. "Racetrack, you'se been heah longer than most of dose newsies." He replied, pointing out the doorway of the lodging house. "You'se like a son to me, and I ain't gonna kick ya out on da streets if your payment's a day late, a'right? Now go get some sleep." He told me, nudging me up the stairs.

I sighed and trudged up the stairs again. With any luck, getting some sleep would make me feel better and I could sell the afternoon edition. Not that it sold half as many papes as the morning one, but it was better than nothing.

I got to the top of the staircase and pushed the door open. Aces had finally decided to stop playing cards and get ready. He had his back turned to me as he walked to the washroom.

He took off his hat and flung it onto his bed. My mouth dropped open as I finally realized why Aces was so strange. _Oh my god..._ I whispered.

Aces Point Of View. 

I sat on my bed, playing solitaire until everyone left. When I heard the lodging house door slam shut, I jumped to my feet. Since I got a late start on getting ready, I'd have to rush if I wanted to make it to the desk in time.

Keeping this hidden was a lot harder than I'd thought it would be. I took off my hat, causing my hair to tumble onto my back. Even though it was only a little past my shoulders, it still wasn't easy to keep it concealed beneath a newsie hat all the time. I tossed the hat onto my bed and began walking to the washroom.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I could have sworn I heard someone whisper something. Whirling around, I saw that no one was at the doorway. I stood still and listened for something else, but I heard nothing. I shrugged it off and went to go wash up and change.

I was ready in a few minutes flat. Leaving the bunk room, I made sure that all my hair was tucked into the cap. As I walked to the staircase, a noise came from the closet door in the hallway. It sounded like something was shuffling around inside of it.

Cautiously, I turned towards it. _Is someone in there...?_ I thought. I extended my hand to reach for the doorknob, but Kloppman's voice came from the bottom of the staircase. "What's goin' on up dere? I hear footsteps..." he called. I pulled my hand back and turned to see Kloppman climbing up the stairs.

"If dat boy ain't in bed restin', I swear I'se gonna—" He stopped immediately when he saw me. "Aces... I thought ya left wit da other boys?" He asked. I shook my head. "Got a late start...Sorry." I mumbled, running past him towards the door. Hopefully I could sneak past him from now on, or that excuse would start to get old.

That's all for now. I'll have a new one up pretty soon. Thanks for reading, and if you guys could just review with your opinion that would be so great :) thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, so you guys know the drill :)...

Thanks to everyone who updated... You're the best. Seriously.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the newsies except for Aces.

Annnddd here we go.

I did better with selling than the day before. 40 papers. Not even half as many as some of the other guys sold, but it was a good start for me.

Being a newsie wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Sure, selling wasn't too bad. And the guys were friendly enough, but I couldn't get close to any of them. I feared that if I did, I would accidentally let my secret slip. I was sure I would love being a newsie if I could just let myself enjoy it, but I couldn't. I always had to be on my guard.

I finished selling as the sun began to go down. I wanted to go back to the lodging house and sit around the lobby, but I didn't dare. Every time I was around, the guys would find something strange about my behavior to point out. I would have to keep my distance from them as much as I could. That way they didn't suspect things so often.

If any of the newsies were still out selling, the one place they wouldn't be was Central Park. People began leaving as soon as it got dark, and newsies were just plain stupid if they sold where there were no customers.

The park was basically desolate except for two police officers that patrolled the area at the entrance. I walked past them, nodding respectfully in their direction. One of them shot me a sickened glance, but other than that they let me be.

I walked deeper into the park, watching the shadows of the trees stretch larger. Soon enough, the whole park was covered in darkness. The few scattered streetlamps in the park provided little light, so I could barely see anything unless it was close in front of my eyes.

There was a dim glowing speck about 20 feet down the path. I squinted to try and see what it was. As I got closer, I saw that it was the tip of a cigar.

_Racetrack._ He was leaning his back against a tree, taking short puffs on his cigar. _What's he doing here..?_ I wondered. His eyes were hidden underneath the brim of his hat, so I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not. I thought about turning around, but if Race had already seen me then he would know I was avoiding him.

I decided I would walk past him and keep my face hidden. That way, if he didn't see me yet I had a chance of getting away. I kept my head pointed to the floor as I walked.

I thought I had gotten away with it as I passed him, but Racetrack grabbed my arm. "Hey, wait up a second. I know ya don't say much, but ya could at least say hi..." he said. I turned to face him, but avoided his eyes.

He stayed silent as he stared down at my face. "Something's up wit you, Aces..." he said finally, just above a whisper. I shook my head, indicating that I didn't know what he was talking about, and tried to twist my arm out of his grasp. He let go, and there was nothing keeping me there anymore except his gaze. Strangely, that was enough... I couldn't make myself move.

"Talk to me, would ya?" He asked softly. "Look, everyone's got their secrets, a'right?" I mumbled, starting to walk away. "Yeah, 'nd it seems I already know one of yours." He replied. In one quick movement, he snatched the hat off my head and my hair tumbled down over my shoulders.

I stared at him as my mouth dropped open. _Oh god... He's gonna get me kicked out of the lodging house, I just know it..._ I thought. It took me a few seconds to find my voice. "Racetrack... P-please, don't tell nobody..." I begged.

"Aces, I don't get w-... wait, can I still call ya Aces?" Race asked. Before I could answer, he shook his head and muttered that it wasn't important. "I don't get why ya didn't jus' tell us... What was da point in _lyin'_ to us?" he asked.

"I had to..." I mumbled, suddenly feeling somewhat guilty. "I needed a job." Racetrack arched his eyebrow at me. "Goils can be newsies too, ya know..." He replied.

"Oh, really? Then how come there aren't any." I said. He opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again. "Hm... uh, good question. I dunno, but I'm sure dere's some...Who says dey can't be newsies?" He asked.

I shrugged. "No one. But I know most lodging houses have rules against girls staying there." I pointed out. Racetrack sighed. "I guess you'se right. Most lodgin' houses do, but I doubt Kloppman would turn away a homeless kid whether he was a boy or a goil." He responded.

I grabbed my hat back and forced myself to turn away from his gaze. "I don't wanna take da chance." I replied, stuffing my hair back underneath the cap.

I walked away, taking quick strides. Race followed after me, practically jogging to keep by my side. "Would ya jus' trust me? I wouldn't do anythin' that would get'ya thrown out!" he argued. I still kept my eyes in front of me, ignoring him.

"Hey!" He said, dodging ahead of me to block my path. Race put his hands on my shoulders to keep me from going any further. "Trust me." He repeated slowly, staring me directly in the eyes. "Why should I?" I asked.

He bit his lip and looked around, searching for a reason. "If ya get thrown out of da Manhattan Lodgin' House for bein' a goil, den... den I'll quit smokin'." He replied. I laughed and moved around him. "Yeah, right." I muttered.

"I'm serious! I may gamble dishonestly once in a while, but I do _not_ lie. You can make shoah I don't smoke. I'll... I'll let ya take all me cigars!" Racetrack offered. "You'll just buy new ones." I argued, continuing to walk towards the exit of the park.

Racetrack turned his pockets inside out, showing me that they were completely empty. "Right, because I shoah can afford it wit all dis money I've got." He said sarcastically.

I found myself smiling. Despite the fact that he was annoyingly persistent and sarcastic and relentless, something made me like him. Something in the pit of my stomach told me that I could trust this guy as my friend.

I quit walking and sighed, turning my body around so I was facing him. "Fine. I'll make you a deal." I said. His eyes lit up and he nodded quickly. I took a deep breath_. Oh god, what am I getting myself into?_

"I'll spill the beans about how I'm a girl if you keep your mouth shut the rest of the walk home. Alright?" I asked. He bit his lip, showing that he was hesitant, but he nodded slowly anyway. Both of us knew damn well that Racetrack couldn't keep quiet for more than ten minutes, but it would sure be fun to watch him try.

We left the park, walking quietly side by side. Neither of us said a word for about 3 minutes, until Racetrack cracked. "So I never realized before dat ya don't got a New Yawk accent. Where ya from?" Race asked. I rolled my eyes and gave him a stern look.

He averted his gaze to the sidewalk. "Sorry, shutting up." He muttered quickly.

So that's all for now. Thanks so much for reading, and if you guys could review with some sort of feedback, I'd be way happy. I'll have the next chapter out pretty soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi there :)

So we all know how it goes.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the newsies except for Aces.

To everyone who has been reading and reviewing: I love you guys. Seriously, thanks so much. It helps to know that there are people out there who like this story :)

Now that that's done, START.

Race offered to talk to Kloppman for me. I sat on the bottom of the staircase in the lobby, waiting for an answer. Even though I was only about 15 feet away, I couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise of the other newsies. When I gathered enough courage to glance over at Kloppman's desk, I saw that he was scolding Racetrack. My heart sank and I dropped my gaze to the floor.

I heard Race approach me and he sat down beside me on the bottom step. "Thanks for trying, Race." I muttered. He arched an eyebrow at me. "What are ya talkin' 'bout?" He asked.

"Kloppman didn't look too happy about it..." I replied, pointing out the obvious. To my relief, Racetrack grinned at me. "Oh, dat? He was jus' scoldin' me for sneakin' out when I was supposed to be restin'." He replied. "Kloppman's got no problem wit you stayin'."

My head snapped up and I stared at Race. "Really?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah. Good thing, too. Because I wasn't lookin' forward to quittin' smoking." He said. I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet..." He replied. "Dat wasn't the hardest part." Race tilted his head in the direction of the other newsies. "Ready?" he asked. I took a deep breath while nodding. "Yeah, I think so." I replied, standing up.

We stood in front of the desk where we could both be seen by the whole room. "Hey, guys? Guys..." Racetrack tried. They continued to talk over him. "HEY FELLAS! ACES HAS SOMETHIN' TO SAY!" He yelled. The noise rapidly faded until the room was quiet and all eyes were on me.

Someone cleared their throat, adding to the awkwardness of the whole situation. I couldn't seem to get the words out no matter how hard I tried. On to plan B.

I raised my arm to my head and slowly removed the hat, letting my hair fall down. They all gawked at me, their expressions resembling a fish when it's held out of water. Snipeshooter was the first to recover from the shock enough to speak. "H-hes a... goil!" He exclaimed.

"I think you mean, "she", Snipe..." Crutchy corrected him in monotone, never once removing his stare on me. Suddenly, Kid Blink dropped down to the floor, landing on his knees. "DAMMIT! NO!" He yelled, causing the other newsies to give him strange looks. He buried his face in his hands.

The rest of them exchanged glances while Jack stood up. "But if she's a goil, dat means..." He suddenly turned to Kloppman. "Is... Is she allowed to stay?" Cowboy asked. Kloppman nodded and the newsies burst into noise, filling the room with chatter again.

"Is dat why ya never talked to us?"

"I told ya it was weird dat she slept wit a hat on!"

"What's a'matter wit Blink?

"Are dresses uncomfortable?"

"What kinda question is dat, stupid!?

"I dunno... I jus' always wondered..."  
"Do we still get to call ya Aces?"

"How come ya didn't tell us before!?"

"Woah, woah, woah!! Give da her a break, would ya!?" Race

exclaimed, taking a step in front of me. "She's a goil, not a preformin' monkey. Give 'er some room to breathe..."

I was finally starting to get used to Kloppman's wake up calls. I wasn't exactly thrilled to get up in the morning, but at least I didn't jump out of my skin anymore when he woke us up.

The day after Race and I told everyone, I woke up thinking things would be a lot easier now. I could get ready with the rest of the guys because they knew I was a girl. I didn't have to wait for them to leave before I could take off my hat to wash my hair and stuff. That meant I didn't have to rush to the circulation desk anymore to get there before they ran out of papes.

However, I found I had a new problem. The guys seemed awkward around me. Every time one of them would mutter a swear word, they'd look over to see if I was offended by it. As soon as I entered the washroom, they all stopped horsing around. Normally, they would throw water at each other and beat the crap out of one another with towels... But now they were acting really weird around me.

As I washed my face, the room was dead silent. The only noise was the sound of water running. The quiet made me extremely uncomfortable. I sighed and shut the water, quickly drying my face. "Alright, what's a'matter?" I asked loudly. They all turned to look at me, most with toothbrushes hanging out of their mouths and shaving cream all over their faces.

They stared at me with blank looks on their faces as I waited for one of them to say something. Specs finally gave me an answer, but his mouth was too full of toothpaste to hear it. "Uhh, ve mever eawy hab a goi wound hea efore."  
"What?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at him. He spit into the sink and repeated himself. "We never really had a goil 'round heah before... it's kinda... weird." He said. I shrugged. "Why should it be weird?" I asked.

"I dunno... Most goils get offended real easily ova stuff. Least da ones dat I see while sellin' do..." Blink replied. I laughed. "Well, most girls you see while sellin' aren't wearing boys' clothes and a newsie hat, are they?" I asked.

The guys shrugged and muttered in agreement. "Plus I've been here for the past three days, and none of you thought anythin' of acting a certain way in front of me. Now that ya know I'm a girl, it shouldn't change anythin'." I added.

"So, uh... How exactly _should_ we act towards ya?" Boots asked. I shrugged. "I guess like I'm just one of you guys." I replied.

Within the next few minutes, the guys were back to themselves. Loud, wild, and violent. After changing into my clothes, I went back into the bunk room. Race walked over to me as I sat on my bed to put on my shoes. "Hey, Race..." I said.

"Heya, Aces." He replied. Suddenly, he punched me hard on my upper arm. "Ow! What was that for!?" I exclaimed. "I dunno... Jus' somethin' we do 'round heah." I shot him a glare and rubbed my shoulder where he had just hit me. "Whats a'matta? I thought ya wanted to be treated like da rest of da guys..." The more I glared at him, the wider he grinned. "You're a pain in the ass, Higgins..." I muttered.

I'm trying to get these out as fast as I can, but it's a bit difficult with school and everything. Sorry about that. I'll have another chapter out possibly tomorrow.

Please review and tell me what you think of the story if you get a chance.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Besides Aces, I don't own any of the Newsies. That's somewhat upsetting :(

To everyone who has reviewed: Thanks so much. You guys are the best. I absolutely love reading what you think about the story, and it's a huge help to have your opinions and suggestions.

With that out of the way, here goes:

"Find anythin' good yet?" Skittery asked, as we all flipped through the newspaper. I was selling with Racetrack, Snoddy, Skittery and Crutchy. "Here's one..." Snoddy said, pointing to a particular headline. "Antique Store Robbed, Over 60 Dollars in Cash Stolen From Register." Snoddy read.

The five of us began to think of ways to improve it. "Got it." I said, snapping my fingers. "How 'bout, 'Local Bank Robbed, Hundreds of Dollars in Consumer Money is Stolen'." I said. Race shrugged. "Give it a shot." He said.

I got to my feet and held the paper over my head, yelling out the fake headline at the top of my lungs. About a dozen people walking by stopped to buy the paper. "Aces, I never knew ya could hawk headlines like dat. Ya always seemed so... quiet before." Race pointed out.

I laughed. "Well, I had to be. I couldn't go 'round soundin' like a 16 year old boy who still hadn't gone through puberty yet..." I said. "Why not? Crutchy does..." Skittery replied, shrugging. The rest of the guys burst into laughter. "Shut up, Skitt..." Crutchy said, even though he was grinning at the remark, too.

"Hey! That headline isn't in here!" Someone yelled, causing us to look up. It was a man in his early thirty's who was wearing a brown business suit. He pushed through the crowd towards us, practically steaming from anger.

"Cheese it!" Crutchy yelled. We jumped to our feet and ran down the street. People shouted at us as we dodged between them, almost knocking a few people over. Every so often we would glance over our shoulders to see if the man was catching up with us. Thankfully, He wasn't.

We darted into an alleyway. "Think we lost him..." Snoddy said, resting his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. "I hate when dey stick 'round to see if da headline is really dere..." Race commented.

"Guess it's back to da drawin' board." Skittery said. The five of us took a seat on one of the many crates scattered around the alleyway. All of us were quiet as we searched the newspaper for a good headline to start with. As I flipped through, something caught my eye. I turned back to the page and my mouth dropped open.

"Number One Suspect of the Jensen Murder is Located." I tried to read the article but the words wouldn't register in my brain. I was too terrified of what it said. My eyes wandered to the black and white picture on the bottom-right corner of the page. I didn't want to believe it, but the picture staring back at me confirmed that it was true.

I tore the newspaper article out and stuffed it into my pocket. Without saying anything to the guys, I walked towards the entrance of the alleyway. "Hey, Aces! Where ya goin'?" Crutchy called after me. I turned the corner and broke into a run.

-----

All night I had to avoid questions from the other newsies. Why I wasn't eating, or why I didn't want to play poker, or what happened that afternoon when I just took off. I ended up just going up to the bunk room early, telling them I just didn't feel well. It wasn't exactly a lie, because my nerves were causing my head and stomach to hurt. The worst thing was that I couldn't talk to any of them about it. It wouldn't be good at all if anyone else found out.

It was impossible to sleep, so I had stayed awake all night in my bed. Too many questions of my own were running through my mind. _What if they found him? Is he...dead?_ I couldn't take it any longer. I was terrified of getting the answers to those questions, but I'd rather know for sure. I pulled the article out from my pocket.

It was around 5:00 in the morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was getting lighter and lighter. It filled the room with just enough light that I could see the article.

I shut my eyes tight and took a deep unsteady breath before I began reading.

"**Number One Suspect of the Jensen Murder is Located."**

_"Police have located the prime suspect, Travis Coles (age 22), of the 'Jensen Murder'. _

_The murder took place on April third of 1900, nearly three months ago. Louise and Violet Jensen (Mother and daughter) were found murdered in their small three-room house in Virginia. The alleged prime suspect was Travis Cole, the Jensen's closest neighbor. Violet's fiancé, Doctor Edwin Scott, claimed that he witnessed the murder from the back porch through the kitchen window. _

_Travis Coles fled soon after, taking his younger sibling with him. For three months he was searched for until police recently found his hideout, which was located in Virginia roughly 30 miles from where the murder was committed. Coles was living in a small house overlooking an abandoned farm. _

_The house was found empty, but Coles' belongings where all left behind. It was believed he left in a hurry early that morning. The police searched the house and found a piece of paper underneath the mattress, stating the times and costs of train rides to Georgia. _

_Police will continue their investigation further in Georgia, where they have numerous proposals of where Coles may be hiding._

So they hadn't found him yet, but they were searching. Still, I knew Travis better than that. He was smart. Not just book-smart, either. Street-smart. He knew how to trick people, and he wasn't dumb enough to leave a list of train rides behind. I doubted that he had really gone to Georgia.

Still, I had to find out for sure. Maybe Travis had left something for me in the old house incase I came back. Maybe, by pure luck, the police hadn't found it when they searched the house.

I looked out the window. Judging by the fading color in the sky, I had about 20 minutes before Kloppman came to wake everyone up. That was enough time to sneak out unnoticed. I quietly changed into some clean clothes. Then I washed up, keeping the faucet just barely on, that way the sound of the water through the pipes wouldn't wake anyone up.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think so far if you get a chance. I'll have a new one by tomorrow probably.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Newsies in this story besides Aces.

Alright. So I've been trying to get out about 1 per day, but I'm sorta busy lately, so it might be every 2 days. However, I'll try my hardest to update one every day.

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I had no trouble getting out of the city. However, once I was out it started to become difficult. The houses got fewer and fewer the more I walked, and so did the people. Whenever I'd come across a person, which was very rare, I'd have them point me in the right direction.

By 7 AM I had reached the train yards. Now all I had to do was steer clear of the workers until the freight train came. I silently wished that I had left the lodging house earlier in the night, that way it would be easier to hide because of the dark. Now the sun was making its way higher in the sky, so I had to be extra careful.

I only had to wait around about a half an hour before I heard the train coming. The old reddened box cars became images instead of moving blurs, and screeched to a halt on the tracks. From my hiding place behind stacks of lumber, I watched the workers stand up and begin loading cargo.

I waited for the right second when they all had their backs turned to me. Glancing around one last time, I sprinted to the closest train car and hoisted myself into the opening of the giant sliding door.

I crawled to the far end of the car where the crates were stacked. Nestling behind them, I made sure I was completely hidden from view. Only then did I let myself relax on the soft hay, grateful for the cool shade the freight car provided.

Exhausted, I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes. My head began to roll forward, bobbing like a cork in the water. I snapped it upright when I heard something tumble into the freight car. Cautiously, I peered over one of the crates.

Someone had jumped into the freight car, landing in the hay. He stood and brushed his clothes off. As he turned to brush the dried grass off his shoulder, I recognized him.

"Racetrack!?" I whispered. He quickly turned his head in my direction and grinned. "There ya are, Aces." He said, calmly walking over and sitting next to me. He casually rested his head against the wall of the car, as if it was a common coincidence that we ran into each other.

"What are you doing here!?" I whispered between gritted teeth. "Followed ya." He replied simply. My mouth dropped open. "You _followed me_?" I repeated, shocked. Race nodded. "Yep. Woke up jus' as you were leavin'. You ain't exactly da quietest person when it comes to runnin' away, are ya?" He added.

"I'm not runnin' away." I told him. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh? So you'se jus' takin' a joy ride on a freight train headed out of state, is dat it?" He asked sarcastically. I shook my head. "No, that's not it." I replied.

"Den why don't ya tell me why you'se heah." Race suggested. I shook my head again. "Nope. I don't have to tell you anything." I replied stubbornly. Race shrugged. "A'right, well I guess I'se gonna find out sooner or later." He said, settling into the hay.

"Oh, no. No way. You are _not_ coming with me." I said. Even though Race had his eyes closed, he smirked. "Yeah I am." He responded.

"Race, there's no way y—" He suddenly sat up and covered my mouth with his hand, stopping me mid-sentence. "Shh..." He warned quietly. I could hear footsteps approaching the freight car.

Still keeping his hand over my mouth, Racetrack slid down further beneath the crates, taking me with him. "Get down..." He cautioned, his voice hardly even audible. I silently inched closer to Racetrack so that we were both hidden behind the crates. Since my head was almost against his chest, I could hear his soft breathing.

The worker stuck his head in and looked around, making sure everything was in order. After a couple seconds, the giant metal door slid sideways and shut with a crash. Neither of us moved for a few seconds, making positively sure we went unnoticed.

Finally, He took his hand off my mouth and I raised my head to look at Racetrack. His eyes met mine and he smirked at me. "Looks like you'se stuck wit me now."

----

"Aces... We've been in dis goddamn metal box for 'bout 6 hours... _Where_ are we goin'?" Racetrack asked. He peeked through the small crack in the freight car where the door was attached, only to see hundreds of trees rushing by and nothing else.

"Just go to sleep or somethin'... I'll wake you up when we're there." I replied, avoiding his question. My arms were folded over the top of a crate and I was resting my head in them. Racetrack got up and stumbled over to me, trying not to lose his balance from the movement of the train. He sat on the crate and even thought my eyes were closed I could feel him staring down at me.

"I don't wanna sleep. Every time I try to, ya wake me up whenever the train makes a stop." He said. I sighed impatiently. "That's because we're _not supposed to be here_, Race. If some guy opens the freight car and finds you sleepin' in the middle of the floor, we get thrown off wherever we happen to be."

"A'right, a'right... Would ya stop tryin' to change da subject and jus' tell me where we're goin!?" He exclaimed, sliding down next to me. I groaned and lifted up my head to look at him.

He begged me with his eyes, locking his gaze with mine. I stared back at him for a few seconds. He had asked me to trust him about telling the other newsies I was a girl, and that worked out fine... But this was much bigger than that. Still, something told me he wouldn't turn his back on me.

"Alright..." I muttered, taking the newspaper out of my pocket. I handed it to him and he cautiously took it, giving me a confused look. "Just read it." I instructed. Race unfolded the paper and his eyes scanned over the words.

It was quiet for a few seconds as he read the article. "What does dis gotta do wit you?" He asked, still looking at the paper. "My brother." I muttered.

His head snapped upwards and he stared at me. "What..?" he whispered. "My brother, Travis Coles." I replied, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. Race's eyes grew wide. "Aces... y-your brudda... _killed_ somebody?!" He stuttered.

The way Race looked at me made me feel uneasy. His eyes were filled with a mixture of shock and terror. "No, Race... Listen." I tried, but he just started muttering to himself nervously under his breath. "I mean, I ain't da most honest person ever, 'nd once in a while I'll soak somebody if I gotta, 'nd shoah we'se all gone through times when we had to steal somethin' to live but _killin'_ somebody? Oh god, dis is bad...I dunno if I'd be abl-"

"Race, shut up!!" I yelled. He looked over at me and closed his mouth immediately. "He didn't kill nobody. It was set up to look like Travis did it, but he wouldn't murder anyone..." I said, softer this time.

"But if he didn't do it...Then why'd da two of ya run?" He asked. "We lived alone, Race. Just me and my brother. They weren't gonna believe two orphans over a doctor... So we picked up and left. We found the deserted farmhouse, and lived there for a couple months. Then Travis told me it wasn't safe anymore for me... He told me go to anywhere I wanted, just as long as it was far away. I chose New York City, and I guess the police found the hide-out right after I left... "

"So we'se goin' to look for your brudda?" Racetrack asked. I shook my head. "We're going to the house in Virginia." I stated.

Racetrack looked confused. "But... what does dat solve? He ain't dere, right? He ran away to hide in Georgia..." Race said, pointing down at the article.

I shook my head again. "I don't think he's in Georgia, Race... I know my brother, and he's not stupid enough to leave a clue that big behind. I think he did it to throw the cops off, and then he went somewhere else." I said.

"Like where?" Racetrack replied, folding up the newspaper and giving it back to me. I shrugged. "I dunno... but maybe he left a clue behind that the cops _didn't_ catch."

----

Thanks for reading, guys. Please review if you can, and I'm in the process of working on the next one.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original Newsies. The only one I own is Aces.

Hey guys. With finals and teachers starting to get a little wacked up in the head, I've been having trouble finding time to write :( I can't wait until summer. Anyway, I'll try to get a chapter out once a day as long as I can.

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"So is dis it?" Race whispered, staring up at the house. Dusk was starting to fade away, leaving the old farmhouse with a dark eerie feel to it as night rolled in. It was more beat up now then it was when I left. Some of the shutters were hanging off their hinges and the few pieces of furniture were toppled over on the porch.

"No, Race. It's one of the many houses surrounding this one." I replied sarcastically. After roughly 8 hours stuck in a freight train with Racetrack Higgins, his wise-ass personality starts to rub off on you. Race looked around the grassy wasteland that was once a farm. The house in front of us was the only building the eye could see.

"Let's go." I said, climbing the stairs to the porch. The lock on the door had already been broken, so all I had to do was push it forward.

The door creaked open and we stepped inside. The electricity in the house had long since been shut off, so it was near impossible to see. "Race, go check the kitchen for some lanterns." I said, pointing him through a doorway. "I'll be upstairs." I added.

Both bedrooms were practically turned upside-down. Furniture was overthrown and our possessions were scattered around the room. The police had torn apart the rooms, searching for clues as to where Travis might have fled. It looked like they got everything.

Then I got an idea. The attic. Maybe they hadn't thought to check there. I quickly went into the hallway, feeling above my head for the cord. My hand grasped it and I pulled. The vertical staircase unfolded, along with dust that had collected on the wood.

As I climbed the ladder, the stairs felt like they were going to break under my feet. Each one creaked every time I took a step. I got to the top and peered around. Through the darkness I could barely see that the room hadn't been upset. The police missed the attic.

Boxes of forgotten junk and old furniture were piled to the beams at the top of the ceiling. I began pushing the boxes aside to get to the far end of the room.

When I slid one of the boxes against the floor, it hit into an old antique dresser. Some of the items on the dresser toppled over, including a music box.

The music box crashed to the floor, opening on its way down. A combination of the crash and the sudden music caused me to jump out of my skin. I stumbled backwards over my feet and almost tripped.

Racetrack happened to be coming up the steps, and he had just gotten to the top. He held a lit lantern over one arm, and caught me with the other arm as I fell. Race placed the lantern on the floor beside him and helped me to my feet.

I couldn't seem to steady my breathing. My heart was still beating out of my chest. Everything about this house made me jumpy. "Woah, woah... calm down..." Race said softly. He turned me around to face him and put his hands on my shoulders.

The soft bell-sounding notes of the music box slowed to a stop. A few last _tick _sounds that were barely even audible showed that the music box had to be wound up again.

I looked up at Race. "You a'right?" He asked. I nodded slowly. "Yeah... Thanks." I replied, still looking into his eyes. I couldn't seem to make myself move away from him. He smiled and took his hands off my shoulders. "I, uh... Found a lantern." He said, picking it up and handing it to me. Shaking my head free of the daze, I clasped the wire handle and began making my way to the back of the room again.

I was finally able to create a path between the boxes. Putting the lantern down on the bottom of a bookshelf, I approached a mirror hanging on the wall. The mirror had a coating of dust covering it. Race waited behind me, watching to see what I was trying to do.

I put both hands on either side of the glass and exploited all my strength to lift it. The heavy mirror lifted off the hook and I place it carefully down beside me.

Behind the mirror was a square hole in the wall. The hole was no bigger than a foot deep and a foot in height. I put my arm in and felt around, until my hand closed around a piece of paper. "There's something in here!" I exclaimed.

I knelt down and uncrumpled the paper. Using the glow of the lantern, I was able to read it. The letters had been scribbled quickly across the page. _"Colorado_"

I smiled and showed it to Race. "He didn't go to Georgia at all... The piece of paper with the train schedule, it was all to throw the police off track..." I said. Racetrack stared at the piece of paper in astonishment. "But how'd ya know it would be dere? Behind da mirror?" He asked.

"That's what we used kinda as our safe... Where we used to keep stuff that was valuable to us. I guess Travis assumed it was the safest place to leave a clue, because odds were that the police wouldn't check there."

"So your brudda's safe den?" Race replied. I nodded. "For the time being, yeah." I said, relieved. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Travis was safely hidden in a state that was hundreds of miles away from where everyone thought him to be. The police could check every inch of Georgia, and they wouldn't find him anywhere.

The only people that knew were me and Racetrack. I suddenly felt glad that Race had followed me. This whole thing was a lot easier with him there to help me. I doubt he realized it, but at that moment I considered him the closest friend I had.

I knew I wouldn't have to ask Race to keep this whole thing quiet. I trusted him not to tell a soul. Race took my arm and started leading me towards the ladder.

On the way down to the door, I grabbed a few things from my old room to take with me back to the lodging house. That included some girls' clothes. I preferred pants over a dress any day, but now that the newsies were aware that I was a girl, I should have them incase I needed them.

Racetrack leaned his shoulder on the doorway. "Let's get outta heah, Aces... Dis place is startin' to give me da creeps."

----

"You don't know what time it is, do ya?" I asked, closing the door behind us and stepping out onto the porch. "Yep. It's..." Racetrack took a pocket watch out of his vest. "8:23."

"Guess that means we've got some time to kill." I said, walking further out into the grass. "How do ya know?" Race asked, following after me.

"Well, a train freight train comes by here roughly every two hours. That means every hour that's an even number, and we just missed the 8:00 one." I explained. "It's only about a 45 minute walk to the train yards from here, so let's just hang out for a while. I'm beat." I fell backwards into the soft grass. Judging by the fact that the grass was at least two feet high, it hadn't been cut in almost a year.

Racetrack shrugged and sat down on the grass next to me. I stared up at the clear night sky. There were no lights around for miles, so just about every star was visible. Race lied down on his back, and although our legs were pointing in different directions our heads were next to each other.

"Wow..." he whispered. "I ain't never seen anythin' like dis." I quickly glanced at him sideways and saw that his eyes were searching the entire night sky. "I mean, sometimes I go out on da roof back at da lodgin' house... but it's nowhere near as beautiful as dis." He added.

"Aww, Racetrack Higgins might _actually_ have a sensitive side behind all that tough guy crap." I teased. Race lightly smacked me on the cheek with the back of his hand. "Shut up..." he muttered.

Neither of us said anything for a couple minutes. The only thing that could be heard was the chorus of crickets and our light breathing. "Wanna heah somethin' funny?" he asked, breaking the silence. "Okay." I replied.

"I dunno if ya noticed, but ever since we found out you was a goil, a few guys have had deir eyes on ya..." Race said. I laughed. "Yeah, right." He sat up in the tall grass, putting one hand up next to his face and the other over his heart. "I ain't lyin!" he stated in all seriousness.

I rolled my eyes. "Like who?" I asked in a skeptic tone. Race shrugged. "Jus' a few of da guys... Dey seemed to have taken a likin' to ya... 'Cept Blink." He said pensively, furrowing his eyebrows. "Ever since he found out you was a goil, he's kinda been keepin' his distance from ya... Did ya notice dat?" He asked. I laughed and nodded.

Racetrack's grin faded and he lied back down. "So, uh... Aces, dere anyone _you_ like?" His question caught me off guard and I nervously started to drum my fingers on my thigh. "I, uhh..." I stammered, trying to swallow the lump that was rising in my throat.

Race smirked and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Aces... We ain't lil' kids anymore, ya can tell me." He said. "I ain't gonna _tell nobody_." Race added in a mocking tone, indicating that it was immature how I wouldn't tell who I had a crush on.

"I um, I dunno... D-Dutchy, I guess..." I replied, hoping he didn't notice that I had stuttered so much and was blushing profusely. I was completely unsure of why I had said that, since I barely even spoke more than three words to Dutchy before. I guess he was just the first person to pop into my mind... Actually, he was the second. But there was no way I was going to say the first.

Race was quiet for a few seconds. "Oh." He said, nodding slowly and holding his gaze on the stars.

-------

Thanks for reading. Please please please update if you can, guys. I'd love to hear any kind of feedback from you.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie "Newsies." The only one that belongs to me is Aces.

Hi again. Okay, I tried to make this one pretty long since the last one was short. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. Your comments were really nice and greatly appreciated :D

So here goes.

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Once we were safely hidden in a freight car and the train was moving, Racetrack lit the lantern that we had taken from the house. He hung it on one of the nails sticking out of the car wall, that way it wouldn't fall over and set something on fire.

"Hey Aces, do ya got ya cards wit ya?" he asked. I gave him a look that said "stupid question" and pulled them out of my pocket to show him. "Wanna play a game of pokah?" he suggested.

I grinned and shook my head quickly. "Snitch told me never to play a game of poker with you... Said you'll always win and I'm practically throwing my money away if I try to beat you." Race smirked and came over, sitting on the opposite side then me of a crate. "Now why would he say somethin' like dat?" He asked innocently.

I ached an eyebrow at him. "A'right, a'right... Fine. We'll play 'Go Fish'." He said. I laughed and began to deal out the cards on the crate between us.

"So uh... Dutchy, huh?" Race said casually, picking up his cards and looking at them. "You go first." He added. "Yeah, Dutchy... Got any threes?" Race shook his head. "Go fish. Can I aks why?"

I shrugged, picking up a card. "I dunno... Just do, I guess." I said, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. "Got any queens?" Race asked.

"Yeah, here." I said, handing him the card. He took it and smirked, putting the pair together. "I can help ya get him, ya know." Race added.

I snorted. "How?" I asked. Racetrack shrugged. "Incase ya haven't noticed, Aces... I'm a guy. I know how dey think... Got any nines?" I handed him the nine and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, nodding like I was deeply interested. "Really, now. And how _do_ they think, Racetrack?" I asked sarcastically.

He ignored my sarcasm and kept talking, searching through his cards. "Well for one, dey get jealous real easily. All ya gotta do is pretend to be interested in anudder guy, and boom. Dutchy's yours." He explained. "King?"

I sighed and handed over yet another card. "Look Race, it's a good plan... But I'm not all buddy-buddy with all the guys back at the lodgin' house like you are. It would be weird if I asked one of them to pretend to like me..." I said.

"I know a guy who'll help ya." He stated, shrugging. "Oh, really? Who?" I asked.

"Yours truly." Racetrack said, looking up from his cards and grinning at me.

" _You?_ " I replied, giving him a glance from head to toe, which really wasn't that much of a distance. "Yeah. What's a'matta wit me!?" He asked, sounding offended.

_Absolutely nothing..._ I thought. He wasn't bad to look at at all. His large brown eyes always had a hint of laughter in them and every time he smiled I couldn't help but smile right back at him. "You ain't very tall..." I teased, covering up my thoughts.

His mouth dropped open as he stared at me, pretending to be insulted. Race forgot about the game and tossed his cards down as he stood up. He went over to a nearby crate and turned his back to me, crossing his arms.

"Race, c'mon... I was just joking." He didn't answer me. "Aw, quit being such a baby, Racetrack." I sighed when he didn't budge. "Fine, I'll admit it, okay? I need your help with this... Please help me?" I begged, knowing it was what he wanted to hear.

He was being stubborn again. I groaned and pushed myself from the floor, going over to the crate he was sitting on. I put both hands on either side of him on the crate and brought my face down to his level, inches away. "Please?" I asked again, softly this time.

His angry facial expression let up a little. "Jus' no more wise-crack's 'bout me height, a'right? We all know I'se short, no need to point it out." Race said. I smiled and nodded quickly, showing him I understood.

Race bit his lip and zoned out for a few seconds in deep thought. "Now, we'se gonna have to make dis believable, okay? When we get back to da lodgin' house, we'se a couple. 'nd nobody knows dis is fake 'cept us... If anyone else finds out it's all an act, dey might spill da beans to Dutchy. Got it?"

------

"Hurry it up, Race! They're gonna run out of papes if we don't move it..." I called over my shoulder. Race groaned and picked up the pace a little, but he still trailed behind. "Pardon me for bein' a bit slow, Aces. _Someone_ wouldn't let me sleep in, even though I'se been on a damn freight train all night." He replied.

I grinned. "And miss sellin' again for the second day in a row? Not a chance..." I said. Race and I had just gotten back to Manhattan. By the time we reached the lodging house, it was about 6:00 AM. We missed the other newsies by only a couple minutes. Despite Racetrack's whines of "I wanna slleeeeeeep..." we quickly got ready and headed out to the distribution office.

I was beginning to think that Race didn't want to go through with the plan anymore since he didn't mention anything on the way to the circulation office. Maybe he had rethought the whole idea, and decided he didn't want to pretend to be a couple.

We got to the circulation office in record time. Luckily, the gates were still open and there was still a line of newsies waiting to buy their papes. Race and I got on the end of the line.

"Jeez, Aces... Do ya ever give a guy a break?" he asked, leaning against the brick wall and letting his head drop backwards. Someone turned around at the sound of Race's unmistakable voice. Jack was a few people ahead of us in the line. He pushed through them and came over to us.

"Race, Aces, where have da two of ya been?!" he asked, grinning at us. Racetrack and I exchanged quick glances. "Queens." He replied casually. "Pokah game dere, 'nd Aces offered to come wit me. It was too late to come back las' night when it ended, so we jus' stayed da night dere." He lied.

While Race talked, he coolly slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. With his other hand he softly brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. Jack smirked. "Woah, so when did dis happen?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"When did what happen?" Race asked, raising an eyebrow and playing dumb. "Since when is you 'nd Aces a couple? Ya are a couple, ain't ya?" Jack clarified. A smile spread across Racetrack's face and he turned to look me in the eyes. He stared at me lovingly, never once breaking his gaze. "Last night. I told her I liked her 'nd, well... She's me goil now." He replied.

I could feel my face turning hot as I blushed. I stared back at Racetrack with a smile that I just couldn't seem to wipe off my face. I had to reluctantly remind myself over and over again that it was all an act.

Cowboy rolled his eyes and laughed. "Guess I saw it comin'... I'se never met two people who love cards more than da two of you." He said. He turned around to find that the line had moved up, bringing him to the front. "Da usual hundred." Jack said, tossing his money onto the desk.

After Race and I both had our papers, he took my hand and led me outside the gates. When we were standing where none of the other newsies could see, he let go of my hand. "Dat was great, Aces! Jack completely bought it... How'd ya make yaself blush like dat? Dat really added to it." he said.

I shrugged off his question and started walking. "Are you sellin' at the races today?" I asked. Race thought about it for a second before shaking his head. "Nah, I think I'se gonna stay heah today. Dat way more people see us togedda 'nd think we'se a couple." He said.

I reminded myself of the reason we were doing this whole thing. "How long 'til Dutchy finds out, do you think?" I asked. "Not long at all. Woid spreads real fast, on a count of da newsies can't keep deir mouths shut for more than a minute." Race replied.

"Ah, so i that's /i why you never shut up..." I said. Race pretended to laugh for a second before he sneered at me and smacked the back of my head with one of his papers. I grinned back at him.

The two of us sold at Central Park that day. Every time we'd run into one of the newsies, Race would pretend not to notice them. Then he'd take my hand or pull me into a bear hug.

It took some getting used to, because every time he would touch me I felt chills run through my body. I couldn't shake the feeling of happiness. No matter how many times I told myself he was pretending, I still loved spending time with him.

---------

Alright, so you guys know the drill :D

Please review if you can.

Thanks for reading.

I should have another out by tomorrow.

Annnnnddd buh bye.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from "Newsies".

I'm sorry I couldn't update yesterday, guys... My computer was being all "BLLEEHH" and my teachers were all "Please read this entire text book because we assume you have no life outside of school" and I was all "Anyone who comes within ten feet of me I'll whack you with a wooden stick" and all that jazz. On that note, enjoy the chapter :D

--START--

"Heya Aces!!" Someone called. I looked over the top of the menu to see Blink and Swifty with two other boys that I didn't know. The four of them sat down at my table that was empty except for me. "Hey guys, how's it going?" I asked.

Blink ignored my question. "So it's true? You 'nd Race, I mean..." He smiled broadly. It was only the second day of this, and by dinnertime everyone knew. I could feel myself blushing as I nodded. "Yeah, I'm waiting for him right now. Told me to meet him here."

I looked towards the two other boys that I didn't know and smiled at them. One looked about my age, with short curly brown hair. The other was around 11 years old. "Oh yeah! Aces, dis is David... or da walkin' mouth. Either or." Swifty said, realizing we had never been introduced. "'nd dis is Les, Davey's younger brudda."

David looked at me strangely as if he was thinking about something. Then he snapped his fingers. "Oh! You must be the new kid... The one who was originally a guy... Well, I mean, obviously you were always a girl. But everyone just recently found out, so it was i sort of /i like being a guy, since everyone assumed that and-"

I quickly took his hand and shook it. "Hi. I'm Aces." I said, stopping him from talking. "And I can see why they call you the walkin' mouth." I added. The rest of the guys laughed, including Les, but David just made a sarcastic "Hah!" sound and picked up a menu.

Race walked into the restaurant with Jack, Dutchy, Snitch, and Snipeshooter. The rest of the guys took a table behind us, but Race took a seat right next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders as he sat. "Heya, doll."

A few of the guys who had been looking in our direction smirked at us. The waiter came by and took our orders, causing everyone to drop the teasing for a couple minutes.

----

"You a'right, Race?" I asked quietly. He was absentmindedly staring at the napkin that he was shredding between his fingertips. "Huh?" He asked, looking up at me. "Oh, yeah, I'se fine. Jus' thinkin', ya know." Race pushed his plate away from him. He had barely touched his food, except for moving it around with the fork.

"Heah, Jack. Take me share of da money for when ya guys pay da bill, will ya? I got somewheres I gotta be." Racetrack put a few coins in the palm of Cowboy's hand. Then he turned to me.

Race leaned in close to me so he was right next to my face. "Meet me at da square in 'bout 15 minutes." He whispered in my ear, causing me to get goosebumps. Then his lips brushed against my face, and he tenderly kissed me on the cheek before he stood up and walked out.

I bowed my head and let my hair fall in front of my face. That way I could hide the fact that I was blushing again.

_What could Race want to tell me that he couldn't say in front of his friends?_ I wondered. It had to be about the 'pretending to be a couple' thing, or else he would have said it at Tibby's. 15 minutes passed and I casually excused myself, telling everyone that I was tired so I was going to head back to the lodging house early.

I made my way to the square and found Racetrack sitting by the base of the statue. He stood up when he saw me. "Heya, Aces." He said. "Hey Race... So what's up?"

"Guess what I found out today?" Race asked. He continued before I even responded. "I was talking to Cowboy today... 'nd you hoid 'bout da newsboy strike in 1899, right?" He asked.

"Yeah... I used to read 'bout it. Jack was the leader, wasn't he?" I replied. Race nodded. "Well, dis Thursday is da foist anniversary of da strike. It's been a year since we beat Pulitzer, 'nd Medda's holdin' a little party thing for us at Irvin' hall."

"That sounds fun, Race... But what does it have to do with me? I wasn't even part of the strike..." I replied. Racetrack rolled his eyes. "Well, you'se obviously comin', too. Everyone in da lodgin' house is, 'nd newsies from udda' parts of da city, too. So ya know what dat means?" He asked.

"I... get to see Irving hall?" I asked, shrugging. Race rolled his eyes again and sighed. "No, Aces. It means dis is da poifect opportunity to get Dutchy to take ya out somewhere." He said.

"Race, I hate to burst your bubble... But Dutchy hasn't said a word to me since I got back. I don't really think he's interested." I replied. I heard people approaching on the sidewalk behind me. They talked and laughed as they passed the square. Racetrack looked over my shoulder at them and his eyes lit up, showing me that he had an idea. "We can change that..." He whispered.

Before I could turn to see who was walking by, Racetrack grabbed my shoulders and pulled me towards him. His lips crashed down on mine and he wrapped his arms around the small of my back. I was completely shocked and I could basically feel myself trembling in his arms.

As Race pulled away, I glanced over my shoulder at the passing crowd. Dutchy, Pie Eater, and Specs stared back at us guardedly as they passed, heading in the direction of the lodging house. All my thoughts were jumbled from the earth shattering kiss, but one thought was very clear.

I wasn't pretending anymore.

----

:O Cliffhanger? Iknow,Iknow,Iknow... It's short. Sorry :( But maybe I'll update another tonight if I can.

Opinions? Ideas? Criticism? Please review :D

Thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from Newsies.

Heeeelllllloo there :D

Thanks to the people who have been reading and reviewing. Especially the people who give me their opinions regularly... It really helps :)

--START--

The next morning, Race bought his papes somewhat early so he could head to the races first thing. I stood on the line alone and got my papers. As I walked down the stairs leading off the circulation platform, someone called my name.

I turned to see Dutchy. He jumped the stairs and jogging after me. "Hey..." he said. I smiled at him. "Hi, Dutchy... How's it going?" I asked. He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Uh, hey, where's Race?"

"Went to the races this mornin'. He hasn't been there in a couple days, so I guess he misses it." I replied, turning to walk out the gates. Dutchy followed by my side. "So dat means ya don't got a sellin' partner today?" Dutchy asked. I nodded. "Do ya wanna sell togedda den?" He seemed nervous by the way he bit his lip and kept rubbing the back of his neck.

_Wow... Race really knows what he's doing, doesn't he?_ I thought. "Sure, why not. Where do ya wanna sell?" Dutchy shrugged. "Central Park sound good to ya?"

----

I always thought Dutchy was one of the quietest and shyest of the newsies. As the day went on, I started to change my opinion of him. He was still a little shy, but he proved to be funny and sweet, also. We finished selling around 5:00, and together we both bought some bread off a street vendor for dinner.

Most of the newsies were in the lodging house lobby when we entered. I looked around, but couldn't find Racetrack. Instead, Dutchy and I joined a game of cards.

Playing cards with these guys was impossible. Every couple of minutes, the guys would go off into their own conversation or start teasingly beating the crap out of each other, and the game would go forgotten.

Dutchy and I talked the whole time, tossing in our cards when it was our turn. However, our turn came roughly every twenty minutes because the game was moving so slow.

The lodging house door opened and Racetrack walked in about an hour later. I stood up and greeted him in the middle of the room. "Hey, Aces..." He said. I smiled at him. "Hi... How was Sheepshead?" I asked. Racetrack didn't answer. He simply took a step closer to me so no one else could hear what he was about to say.

"Aces... Dutchy's lookin' at ya." He said under his breath. "So?" I replied. "So he's jealous! Ya can tell jus' by da way he's starin' at ya!" He muttered. I began turning my head to look behind me, but Racetrack put his hands on my shoulders to stop me.

"No! Don't turn around... Slap me." He whispered. I raised my eyebrow at him. "What?!" I whispered back. "I know what I'se talkin' 'bout! Slap me, across da face. Hard. Right now." He instructed through gritted teeth.

I shot him a confused look but obeyed, bringing my hand down hard on his cheek. A red handprint appeared across the side of his face and he shut his eyes in pain. I opened my mouth to apologize for hitting him so hard, but I never got the chance.

"We'se through, Aces! A'right!? I'm done wit you!" Racetrack yelled, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. I stared back at him, wide-eyed. He hastily stomped on my foot, reminding me to play along.

"Oh! Um... Fine, then! I don't care anymore, Racetrack Higgins! It's over!" I yelled back. Race secretly winked at me before stomping upstairs. I turned to face the newsies, who had all their attention focused on me. Their mouths were wide open.

I sighed and collapsed on the couch next to Dutchy again. The guys returned to their card game, and this time they played in silence. When the noise level finally started to pick up again, Dutchy turned to me. "You okay?" I looked up, nodding absentmindedly. Even thought it was all an act, I still felt a little jumpy afterwards for some reason. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

"You'se still goin' tomorrow, right?" He asked. Medda's party. I had forgotten about it. "Um, I dunno... I was supposed to go with Race." I said, attempting to finish what Race had started.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. "Look, Aces... I know it's a little fast, 'nd I can understand if ya don't wanna go... But if ya don't wanna go alone, I'll go wit ya." He offered. "It don't gotta be a date if ya don't want it to be..."

I looked up and tried my hardest to smile. "I'd love to." I responded. Dutchy raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? I mean... ya _jus_' ended stuff wit Race. You sure you'se alright?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wanna go with you tomorrow. I just need some air right now, though. I'm gonna go out on the fire escape for a few minutes." I replied.

Dutchy nodded slowly as I stood up. "Want some company?" He asked. I shook my head. "Nah, it's a'right. I'm okay. I'll be right back anyways."

----

"I never knew you were such a great actor..." I said, standing in the doorway of the bunk room. Race looked up from the newspaper he was reading. I saw that the mark on his face was just starting to fade now. I bit my lip and cringed. "Sorry, Race... I didn't mean to hit ya that hard." He grinned. "Don't worry 'bout it. Added to da effect." He joked.

"So what happened?" Race asked. "After I left, I mean. Did da guys buy it?" I went over and sat down on the foot of his bunk. "Dutchy asked me to Medda's tomorrow." I replied. Race smiled, but the happiness didn't seem to reach his eyes. "See? Told ya it would woik."

------

Eh, that one was kind of short, too. Sorry guys... But it's the best I could do. Better than nothing, I suppose?

Please review if you get a chance, and as always thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the movie "Newsies." They all belong to Disney.

Heelllllllloo there :)

TGIF, man. Since it's the weekend, I may (don't hold me to this) update more than one chapter tomorrow.

Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I know I sound like a broken record, but you guys have no idea how much i enjoy reading your comments on the writing.

---START---

It turned out to be a beautiful day. The weather was warm, but not uncomfortable because of the constant summer breeze. Everyone was out, wandering the streets. It was a perfect day for selling, but most of us barely sold at all.

We were back at the lodging house by 3 o'clock. The guys were really looking forward to the party at Medda's that night. For some reason, I wasn't that excited.

As the newsies scrambled around the bunk room, I opened my bedside drawer and pulled out one of the few dresses that I owned. It was one of the things I had taken with me from the house in Virginia.

The dress unfolded and cascaded to the floor as I carefully took it out of the drawer. I wasn't too fond of dresses, but this one was my favorite. I assumed that my brother and I would be running from the police forever, and I was afraid I would never find another occasion to wear it again.

It was a pale green, almost seafoam, color that nearly matched my eyes. Small delicate flowers were stitched along the edges in white, also going down the side of the dress. There was a wide ribbon around the waist that tied into a bow in the back.

I refolded the dress and left it on my bed, going into the washroom to get ready. It was crazy in there, as the guys frantically tried to get ready as quickly as they could. During the time I spend standing at the sink, washing my face and brushing my teeth, I got bumped into at least 6 times.

After washing my hair, I quickly wrung it in a towel a few times to get rid of some of the extra water. Then left it down on my back to dry in loose curls.

"Aces... C'mon, we'se leavin'." Mush called, standing off to the side of the door while the rest of the guys headed towards the lobby. "A'right, I'll be right there... I just gotta get changed. I'll catch up with you guys." I replied.

I grabbed the dress off my bed and went back into the washroom to change. As I finished, I rushed towards the bunk room door and caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked nothing like the newsie I had been for the past week or so.

I ran down the stairs, keeping my head pointed to my feet so I wouldn't trip. As I got to the bottom, I collided with someone. Since I wasn't expecting it, my heart nearly skipped a beat. "Woah, Aces... Slow down before ya kill yaself." I looked up to see Dutchy smiling at me.

He held me out at arms length and I laughed. "I thought all of ya left, so I was trying to catch up with you guys." I explained. "All da guys _did_ leave... Well, all except for one. Figured a goil like you shouldn't be witout an escort, right?" Dutchy replied, grinning. "You look completely beautiful, by da way." He added.

I didn't really know what to say, so I just sheepishly smiled back at him. "Thanks..." I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He held out his arm for me and I slowly took it. We walked like that to Medda's, keeping a slow pace because we weren't in any rush. The two of us kept a light conversation going until we got to Irving hall.

Dutchy led me across the lobby. As we approached the door to the theater, I could already hear the loud buzz of voices. When we walked in I saw hundreds of teenage boys and a few select girls. Many of them were standing over the balconies that lined the walls of the huge room. The room was dim, because besides the small candles on each table, the only lights came from the stage.

On the ground floor were all the Manhattan newsies. They were all scattered out, seated in round tables. The boys were wearing the best clothes they owned.

"Hey Dutchy! Ova heah!" Specs called over the noise. He was sitting at a table with Kid Blink, Skittery, and Crutchy. We took the two empty seats and I greeted the guys as I sat down. "Took ya two long enough to get heah, huh?" Skittery commented.

The middle of the room had been cleared of tables to create a dance floor. I searched the room and found Racetrack across from me on the other side of the empty floor. As my eyes settled on him, I realized that he was already looking at me. I quickly waved and he smiled at me before turning to face the stage.

Race looked unbelievably cute. Of course, he wore his newsboy hat. He was also wearing his favorite dark plaid vest along with black pants. Racetrack's eyes seemed to gleam as they caught every light in the room.

Jack got up on stage, followed by two boys. I recognized one as David, but I didn't know the other one. Jack stood in the middle of the two and tried to quiet the room down. The room hushed over as everyone took their seats.

"So fellas- and uh, ladies-. It's been a year since we beat Pulitzah. Lotsa people said dat it was impossible, but we showed New Yawk dat we ain't jus' a bunch of newsies." Everyone in the room clapped. "I think we owe it to my good friend David heah, da brains -- 'nd da mouth-- of da operation, for all his help." Jack said, slapping David on the back. "And of course to da infamous Spot Conlon-" most of the room cheered as he motioned to the boy that I didn't know. He stood proudly, shaking his cane above his head. "We also owe most of our victory to da Ace War Correspondent, Bryan Denton, who ain't heah tonight."

By now the room was so riled up that Jack had to quiet them once more. "A'right, a'right..." He continued when the theater was hushed again. "Of course, thanks to Medda, for lettin' us use Irvin' Hall for dis celebration." Cowboy said, looking off to the side of the stage where Medda was standing. She smiled and nodded once. "And uh, dat's 'bout it. So enjoy da party, everyone."

He jumped off the stage and the three of them went over to sit with Racetrack and Mush. Instead of Medda performing that night, she put on an old record player that was positioned in front of the stage. The room was filled old fashioned music over the hum of voices.

----

"Aces?" I looked up from the soft-glowing candle I had zoned out on. "Wanna dance?" Dutchy asked. I vacantly smiled. "Sure." I replied softly. He stood up and held out his hand for me to take. Once I did, he led me onto the dance floor with only a few other couples.

The whole theater had quieted down a huge amount. I had spent the whole time talking with the guys at my table. Now the night was coming to an end, almost half the newsies had left to go home.

He held one of my hands in his as he carefully placed the other on my waist. I put my hand on his shoulder and we began to sway to the slow crackling music. The words on the record player almost blended together from the record having been played so many times.

I let my mind wander from subject to subject as we silently danced. The tranquil music and the late hour put me in an almost trance-like state. "You okay, Aces?" Dutchy asked gently. I looked up to meet his blue eyes and nodded. "I'm just kind of drowsy. Tired, I guess."

Soon enough the song ended. We stopped swaying, but stayed exactly where we were as the rest of the couples went to go sit down. From behind his glasses he searched my eyes. "Heah, I'll get you some water. Go sit down, a'right? You look real faint..." He said.

Dutchy leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. "Thanks for the dance, Aces." He added, walking away. My eyes fell to the floor and I placed my fingers over the spot where he had just kissed me.

I didn't move and just stood in the center of the dance floor. When I blinked myself free of the daze I was in, I looked up to see Racetrack sitting at his table. He had been looking at me, but turned his attention away when I saw him.

_So Race's plan worked out perfectly... Just like he said it would._ I thought, beginning to walk off the dance floor towards my table. _Too bad Dutchy isn't the one I wanna be with..._

_----_

Will Racetrack and Aces _ever _get together:O

Guess you'll just have to keep reading and find out :D

For the time being, thanks for reading and please review :) _  
_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the movie "Newsies"

---START---

We all got back around 2 AM. The rest of the newsies practically passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillow. They were all exhausted from the dance.

I was having trouble falling asleep, so I sat against the headboard of my bunk, staring at nothing in particular in the dark. I was thoroughly worn out, but I had too much on my mind. I couldn't seem to think straight, especially because of the temperature in the bunkroom. The heavy summer air seemed to be trapped in the room, unmoving and suffocating.

I silently got up from bed and walked over to the window. Unlocking it and sliding it up, I carefully stepped out onto the fire escape. The cold metal touched my bare feet as I climbed the ladder. Thankfully, the air was much cooler on the roof.

I sat cross-legged on the ledge, allowing a safe distance between myself and the end of the roof. Gathering up my hair, I tied it up in a ponytail and let the summer breeze blow across the back of my neck.

The city was completely dark below me, except for the streetlamps that cast long shadows along the cobblestone. I sat in silence for a while, trying to figure out why I felt so vacant when the plan had worked exactly the way we wanted it to.

"Can't sleep?" I heard a voice from behind me. I didn't even bother turning around. I would recognize that heavy New York accent anywhere. I shrugged, still not breaking my gaze with the hazy buildings in the distance.

He approached me silently and sat down, dangling his feet off the edge of the building. "You're gonna kill yourself, Race." I muttered, shaking my head. He shrugged. "It ain't me I'se worried 'bout. It's you." Racetrack said. "You'se been real distant all night. 'specially afta da party."

Race turned his head towards me and searched my face for an answer. "What happened, Aces?" He asked softly. "Nothing. Everything went great." I replied steadily, sounding a lot more sure than I was. He sighed, meaning that he wasn't getting the answers he was looking for. "Then why do ya look so sad?"

"I don't... I'm not." I told him, turning to meet his gaze. I smiled emptily at him. He stared at me for a few seconds before pulling his feet back over the ledge. "Ya looked beautiful tonight, by da way." He said. Race lied down on his back, resting the back of his head against the flat concrete roof. I could feel my cheeks beginning to burn.

"Dis reminds me of when we went to yer old house." He commented suddenly, searching the night sky for stars. "'Course, dere's a lot more stars dere than dere are heah." He concluded. I didn't have to force a smile that time as I lied down, also.

We were both quiet for some time. "It's weird, ain't it? Not having to pretend all the time anymore..." I said, referring to how we pretended to be together. "I sorta miss it." I whispered honestly under my breath, before I could stop myself.

I was unsure if Race had heard me, but he turned his head sideways and arched his eyebrow at me, shooting me a strange look. After a few seconds, he shrugged and looked up again.

I sighed and sat up. "Anyway, I never got a chance to thank you for all your help. You're the only reason this whole thing worked out." I said. Racetrack sat up also. "Don't mention it." He replied, smirking.

"We should get some sleep... Party or not, I bet Kloppman's gonna wake us up at 5:30 on the dot like every other day." I pointed out. Racetrack nodded and yawned in agreement. As I got to my feet, I gave Race a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks again." I repeated.

---

The newsies scrambled around the city, yelling their made-up headlines and attracting the last buyers of the day as dusk rolled in. I didn't feel much like selling anymore, though. I looked down at the small stack of papers under my arm. "5... 6... 7." I counted.

_It's not worth it._ I decided, scanning the passing crowd with my eyes. "Hey, kid! Yeah, you. C'mere a second..." I called. The young boy turned around and cautiously approached me. With his large innocent eyes and small stature, he couldn't have been over 8 years old. The newsboy's hat he wore was much too big for him and nearly covered his vision.

"You're a newsie, right, kid?" I asked him. He showed me the papers he carried in a bag that hung over his shoulder. "Here." I said, handing him my pile. "You'll probably have better luck than me."

He looked at me strangely, his already huge eyes growing even bigger. "Gee, miss... You'se sure? Dat's near ten papes..." He replied. I nodded quickly, handing them to him. The boy thanked me and took them, disappearing into the crowd as I slipped through the gates of Central Park.

Walking for some time, I eventually came to a wide pond with willow trees and tall grass looming over the water. Across it stretched a long stone bridge, made of concrete and flat rocks. I walked to the middle of the bridge leaned on the edge, staring down at the dark-colored water. Some ducks and swans spent their last few days swimming there before the winter migration.

I let my mind wander from thought to thought. I replayed the party at Irving hall the night before again in my head. The truth was, I enjoyed myself more on my fake dates with Race than I did on the real one with Dutchy last night.

Don't get me wrong. Dutchy was a great guy. He was sweet, and funny... but there was just something about Racetrack Higgins that made me unable to think about other people in the same way I thought about him. To be honest, it hurt me more than anything to know that he had been _pretending _to like me. He felt nothing for me in that way. I was simply his friend. Exactly like the other guys in the lodging house.

"Aces!" I heard my name called from behind me. _Speak of the devil..._ I thought, turning around. But it wasn't Race calling my name at all. It was Dutchy. My mind was just playing tricks on me.

He caught up to me and walked onto the bridge, raising his eyebrow at me. "Dere a reason you'se lookin' at me like I'm one of da Delancey brudda's?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

I freed myself from my thoughts and shook my head. "Nah, sorry... I just thought you were..." I began. _Stop thinking about Race, Aces. Get that boy out of your head. It'll never happen_. I told myself. "Never mind." I said softly.

He came over to join me, leaning on the side ledge as well. "You okay, Aces?" He asked. I had heard that question more in the last couple of days than I ever had in my life. Racetrack was really starting to get to me.

I took a deep breath, at the same time trying to clear my mind of him. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, smiling up at Dutchy. "Good." He said, smiling back. "Ya know, I had a lot of fun last night." Dutchy added. I nodded absentmindedly. "Me too."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "'nd uh... I was sorta wondering, if you wanted to do somethin' like dat again. Maybe even if ya wanted to... to be me goil..." He muttered. I snapped my head up looked at him. He held his gaze with mine, but his eyes revealed that he was nervous.

I swallowed the lump that was starting to rise in my throat and steadily inhaled. _He deserves a chance, right?_ I told myself. _I __**do**__ like him, I guess... not as much as—No. Get your mind off him and answer the poor guy_. I scolded myself. I finally stopped holding my breath and nodded slowly. "Okay, Dutch." I replied.

He tilted his head down to look at me and few strands of his blonde hair fell in front of his eyes. Dutchy smiled at me and his entire face seemed to light up. He placed his finger underneath my chin, causing me to look up, and he kissed me lightly on the lips.

When he pulled away after a few seconds, he took me securely in his arms and I rested my head on his shoulder. _It's all in my head. I only want him because I can't have him... I'll realize in no time that I'll be happy with Dutchy..._

_I hope._

_ ----------_

So Dutchy and Aces are together :O... Please don't kill me, Race-fans

Please review if you can, and I may post another chapter tonight.

Of course, thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the Disney movie "Newsies"

Two in one day!? I know. You're crazy, Maria...

And not just because you talk about yourself in the third person.

Enjoy, guys.

---START---

The crisp smell in the air told New York City that autumn was coming a little earlier this year. I sold the last of the days' papers and sat with my back against a building on the street, enjoying the cool weather. I let my head drop backwards against the bricks and closed my eyes as people passed, ignoring the fact that I was even there.

A sharp pain hit me in the side. I groaned and the same pain came again. "Aces, we offered ya a bunk at da lodgin' house so you _don't _gotta sleep on da street." I opened one of my eyes and saw Pie Eater and Jack grinning at me. Pie Eater had just kicked me in the ribs.

"I wasn't sleeping... Jeez, can't someone just sit here and enjoy the weather?" I asked. Jack shrugged, looking up at the sky. Clouds were slowly moving in towards us, making the skies overcast. "Shoah ya can. It's jus' fun to annoy ya." He said. I glared at him and muttered a sarcastic "thanks."

"Anyways... Everyone's meetin' at Tibby's. We'se on our way now. You comin'?" Pie Eater asked. I stood up and brushed my clothes off, nodding. "Sure. I jus' gotta stop by the lodging house first." I told them. "I'll meet up with you guys."

---

The lodging house was completely out of the way of Tibby's, so I would have to move it in order to get there before the rest of the newsies finished dinner. I darted up the stoop of the lodging house and quickly opened the door.

Before I was three feet into the lobby, I crashed into something hard. I was knocked to the ground, and so was the other person. They quickly got to their feet as I rubbed my head. "Well, you'se in a rush, Aces..." The voice made me get butterflies in my stomach. I looked up to see Racetrack. He extended his hand towards me to help me up.

I slowly accepted it and pulled myself to my feet with his help. "Sorry about that, Race..." I said, letting go of his hand and avoiding his eyes so I wouldn't get tongue-tied. He shrugged and grinned. "Not a problem. You'se okay?" he asked. I nodded.

Racetrack raised his eyebrow at me. "Why are ya at da lodgin' house? Didn't ya heah 'bout Tibby's?" He asked me. "Yeah... I'm going, but I just have to drop off some money first. Yesterday when Kloppman collected it from the guys, I was a little short so he gave me an extra day." I explained. "Wait... Why are _you_ still here?"

Racetrack fished in his pocket for something and pulled out his cigar. "Forgot dis..." he answered, grinning. I rolled my eyes. "Of course. Should've known." I replied, walking past him towards Kloppman's desk.

"He's not here..." I muttered to myself as I approached the desk, searching around the lobby. I expected Racetrack to start heading towards Tibby's, but instead he followed me back inside. "He prob'ly jus' stepped out to run some errands." He responded.

I shrugged and put the money I owed him in a pile where he'd see it on the desk. Then I slid Kloppman's brown record book towards me. As I flipped through the pages searching for my name, Race leaned against the desk and watched me.

"So uh... How's it goin' wit Dutchy?" He asked casually, lighting up his cigar and shaking out the match. I shrugged again. "It's going good." I replied. It wasn't _completely_ a lie. For the past week or so, Dutchy and I had been dating. I enjoyed his company a lot and everything would be going great... Until I would talk to Racetrack again.

Every single time he would start up a conversation with me, the feelings I had for him would come back as strong as ever. Every time he looked me in the eyes and smiled, I was just about ready to melt into a puddle on the floor.

I often thought about how things would be if I didn't lie and tell Racetrack that I liked Dutchy. Maybe things would have been a lot easier if I just faced the embarrassment and told him the truth... It didn't matter anymore, though. There was no going back on my word now.

I finally came to my name and checked it off in the book, showing that I had paid my lodging house rent for that week. "So uh... ready to go?" I asked, closing the book and placing it where it originally was on the desk. Racetrack nodded and we started walking towards the door.

---

Race and I entered the bright atmosphere of Tibby's. The warm air that hit me when I opened the door made me realize how cold the temperature outside was starting to get.

The newsies were all grouped together at several tables in the back of the room, as always. There was an empty seat next to Dutchy, who was sitting at the longest table that had room for about eight or nine people. I sat down next to him and he kissed me lightly on the cheek as a greeting.

"Well, would ya look at dat, Specs. Dutchy seems to have finally gotten himself a goil." Skittery pointed out from the opposite end of the table, crossing his arms and smirking. "Yeah, Skittery. So I see." Specs replied mockingly from the seat next to him. "But wait. It's not just any goil. Oh, look. It's Aces." Specs responded in monotone, pointing out the obvious and smirking, also. These two had been at this for the past week, bringing it up every time they saw us.

"Ya two ever gonna cut dat out?" Dutchy mumbled, blushing slightly and putting his arm around my shoulders to pull me closer. "Doubt it." Skittery replied. Specs shook his head and I rolled my eyes. "You guys are ruthless, you know that?" I told them.

"Um... 'Scuse me? Can I take your order?" The waiter said quietly, approaching us. I looked up at him. He was definitely new at Tibby's, since I'd never seen him there before. I sort of felt bad for the guy. He wasn't aware that the newsies were regulars at Tibby's, and he didn't know how to deal with us yet.

He tried again, talking a little louder so he could be heard over the loud noise and chatter. "Uh... Can I take your orders?!" He attempted. On the third try, he finally caught their attention. The newsies practically jumped on him, yelling out orders all at once.

"French-fries!"

"Roast beef sandwich..."

"Oh, I want a coke."

"Hotdog."

"What kinds of salads do you have?"

"Coffee. No milk. Lots of sugar..."

"Wait...Can you change that to turkey?"

"Lots and lots and lots..."

"Scratch that, I'll have a hamburger instead."

"Buttered roll, please."

"...and lots and lots and lots of sugar!"

"Blink, my suggestion is dat you _lay off_ da sugar..."

"Can you put cheese on that?"

"We're gonna need some water, too. Thanks."

"No! Wait, I want soup now..."

The new waiter looked at us with a terrified expression. He slowly took a few steps backwards into the kitchen, without even jotting a word down on his notepad. Within a few seconds, he had sent another waiter out to take our orders.

I laughed to myself and picked up a menu, still unsure about what I wanted. "So how was your day, sweets?" Dutchy asked. I continued scanning over the menu with my eyes. "Pretty good, I guess. Hmm... Should I get a ham or turkey sandwich?" I asked him.

He shrugged and laughed. "I dunno, Aces... You'se eatin' it, not me." I tapped my fingertips on the table. "Yeah, but I can't decide."

"So...get ham." He suggested. "Wait, but I'm pretty sure I want turkey..." I replied. Dutchy sighed. "You'se impossible, Aces." I looked up and met his eyes, smirking. "I know." I said, taking his hat off his head and putting it on mine.

Dutchy smiled at me and placed his hand on the side of my face. He slowly leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. As a few seconds passed, I could hear the newsies quieting down around us.

"I.. uh, I'se gonna go out for a smoke. Someone tell me when da food gets here." I heard Racetrack announce loudly. There was a hint of aggravation in his voice. Dutchy and I pulled away just in time to see Racetrack shut the restaurant door forcefully behind him.

----

The waiter placed a ham and turkey sandwich in front of me. I looked up and scanned the tables, but Racetrack still wasn't back yet. "It's been 20 minutes... How long can that kid stand out there and smoke a cigar?" I asked.

Snitch laughed and bit into his buttered roll. "You obviously don't know Race dat well..." He stated with his mouth full. "Someone should go get him... His food's heah." Boots pointed out. I looked at the newsies' faces and sighed as none of them made an effort to even budge. "Well, don't all jump up at once..." I muttered, standing up from my chair.

-------

Sort of a cliffhanger... But it's the second one I posted today, so give me a break, here...

so Dutchy and Aces, huh? Love it? Heavily dislike it? _Hate_ it, even:O Please review and tell me what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from "Newsies"

I really don't have anything important to say. So I guess I'll just start.

--START--

Racetrack heard the door open and he turned his head. "Heya Aces." He said softly, taking another puff on his shortening cigar and looking back towards the street. "Your foods ready." I said.

"A'right. I'll be dere in a couple minutes." He replied, still leaning up against the wall of Tibby's. I tilted my head to the side and searched his face. The usual happy gleam in his eye was gone. "Race... what's a'matter?" I asked, letting go of the door I had been holding open with my shoulder. "Nuttin'." He responded simply.

I sighed. "Racetrack Higgins. Strong points: Gambling, horses, and poker. Weak points: Lying and soaking people." He looked up and glared at me. "I can soak people jus' fine, thank ya very much." Race growled, attempting to change the subject.

"Really? I always thought your height would put you at a disadvantage." I replied. He narrowed his eyes even more at me. "What'd I tell ya 'bout da short jokes, Aces?" he warned.

"Then tell me what's wrong and I'll stop." I stated. He shook his head. "Neva." He replied stubbornly, sliding down the wall so he was sitting on the ground. I did the same so we were sitting side by side. "Fine, shrimp."

"Hey!" he yelled. "Woah, now. No need to get upset, Just take a deep breath, midget." I teased. He groaned in annoyance and let his head drop back against the wall. "Fine. You win." He said.

Race was quiet for a few minutes, but I let him take his time to organize his words. I'd never seen him this disoriented before. He always seemed to have the right comment on the tip of his tongue, and now he was at a loss for words.

"Aces... Have you..." He paused for a second and took a deep breath. "Have ya ever wanted somethin' real bad? 'nd... 'nd I ain't jus' talkin' about merely desirin' somethin'. I mean, every single part of ya knows dat ya gotta have it. But ya can't have it, because someone else already does..." His voice faded out and he looked up to meet my eyes.

I searched his face, looking for what he was trying to say. I could feel butterflies in my stomach as he tried to tell me something with his eyes. _He couldn't mean that he actually... likes me, could he_? The thought seemed impossible as it entered my mind.

Neither of us dared to say anything. We just stared at each other, trying to figure out the others' thoughts. Racetrack forgot about the lit cigar in his hand. The embers glowed closer and closer to his fingers as it burned away.

"Ouch! Shit!" He muttered, dropping the cigar and looking down at his hand. He bit down on his fingertip, trying unsuccessfully to ease the burn. "Tonight really ain't me night..." he muttered under his breath, shutting his eyes tightly in pain.

I heard the bell on the door behind me. "Jeez, Aces... How long does it take to tell someone dey're foods heah?" Snoddy commented, poking his head out the door. I stood up. "Sorry..." I replied. "Race, you okay?" I asked. He looked down at his hand, which was already starting to scar. "Yeah... I'll jus' run it under some cold watah when we get back to da lodgin' house. C'mon... Let's go inside. Bet me soup's colder den ice by now."

---

When we were finished at Tibby's, we had to get back to the lodging house. It was poker night for Manhattan, which meant Spot Conlon and a few of his newsies would be coming at 9.

It began to drizzle as we walked in a large group, with Dutchy and I at the back. The rain steadily increased, making it seem even colder out. _What was Racetrack going to say?_ my mind nagged me over and over again. _If he had just finished his sentence, then maybe..._

I stole a quick sideways glance at Dutchy. Then my eyes wandered down to my hand, which was being held in his.

My common sense told me to stop and reason things out before I opened my mouth. _Racetrack didn't finish his sentence. You don't know anything for sure. You're well-off with Dutchy because he cares about you, so don't screw anything up._

The other side of me said the exact opposite. _What if I'm right about what he was about to say? I may be well-off with Dutchy, but maybe I don't belong with him... What if I belong with Race, and I lose yet another opportunity to tell him_?

I abruptly stopped walking. "What's a'matter, Aces?" Dutchy asked. The rest of the newsies continued heading towards the lodging house, not even aware we had fallen behind the group. "Dutchy... Can I talk to ya about somethin'?"

He stared at me through the rain, biting his lip. "I can't say I'se been in a whole lot of relationships, but when a goil says she wants to talk... dat's never a good thing." Dutchy muttered, dropping his gaze to the muddy cobblestone.

My words were caught in my throat as my common sense told me _you can still just tell him 'nevermind'_. My instinct pushed me forward, saying, _Don't let Racetrack Higgins slip away again_.

"Well, ya gonna break up wit me or what?" Dutchy asked. I looked up at him and the hurt in his eyes made me feel awful. I honestly cared about him. I finally came to the realization that it wasn't in the same way I cared about Race, but I did care.

"Dutchy... You're the greatest, you really are. And I love spending time with you and everything, but-" I said. "But ya think we should jus' be friends." He finished for me.

"Yeah." I exhaled, finally letting go of the air I had been holding in my lungs. It wasn't one of the most original break-up lines, but I just couldn't give him any more of the details. "Guess I saw it comin'... Maybe next time ya should jus' be honest wit da guy, Aces."

I nodded shamefully and looked down at the water that was starting to flood the streets. "Sorry, Dutchy." I mumbled.

He sighed and a tiny smile crept across his face. "Don't worry 'bout it." He said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me towards him for a hug. Dutchy put his chin on top of my head and whispered something to me. "But if you think I'se loosin' me sellin' partner jus' because we broke up, den you'se crazier den Kloppman."

-----

Alright, so Dutchy and Aces are broken up now. I bet everyone knows what's going to happen next.

Yep. You guessed it. Aces goes and hooks up with Specs. ::Wonders how dead she would be if she actually did that.::

::Also wonders if a laugh like that is worth getting attacked by a small select mob of pissed-off Racetrack fans::

So please go review, guys. And I think I'll post the next one right about... now.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie "Newsies."

::Nudges you:: Hey... hey, guess what. After this one, there's only one chapter left :O

Woah. This one went way too fast. But it's not over yet!!

--START--

I was alone in the bunk room, sitting cross-legged on my bed. As I shuffled my cards, I listened to the rain on the windows and the faint chatter from downstairs in the lobby. I dealt out my fourth game of solitaire and looked at my options, but I was having difficulty concentrating.

My back was to the door, but I heard someone's footsteps enter the bunk room, telling me that I was no longer alone. They walked closer to me and I felt the bed sink down slightly as they sat on the mattress. "Heard 'bout you 'nd Dutchy."

I recognized Racetrack's soft voice instantly. The fluttery feeling in my stomach came back along with the lump in my throat, leaving me with nothing to do but shrug. "What happened, Aces? Stuff was goin' so great between da two of ya, wasn't it?" he asked sympathetically.

I shrugged again. "Apparently not." I said, pretending to observe the cards so Race didn't lock his gaze with mine. "Why'd ya end it, though?" He asked.

"It just wasn't what I wanted, alright, Race?" I replied. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but it was easier said then done. He sighed in aggravation. "Den for God sakes, Aces! What do ya want!? Please, enlighten me!"

For some reason, the fact that he was clueless angered me. I had dropped so many hints. The only thing I hadn't done was tell him straight out. My brain told me to yell it on impulse. _Just say it, Aces. I. Like. You. Racetrack._

Instead, I turned around and yelled something else. "Just bum off and leave me alone, alright Race?!" I screamed.

Jack had just walked into the bunk room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw we were fighting. The two of us looked up at him. "Oh... Sorry. I didn't realize I was uh, interruptin' somethin'." He mumbled.

"It doesn't matter, Jack. I'm leaving anyway." I growled. Abandoning both Race and the cards on the bed, I pushed past Jack and walked through the doorway.

Racetrack's Point of View

My mouth dropped open as I watched her leave. I put my hand up to my head, trying to figure out what just went on. "Uh... What exactly was dat about?" Cowboy asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I dunno..." I said, raising my gaze to him. "We was jus' talkin' 'nd she started freakin' out..." I told him. He sat on the bunk across from me. "Well, ya must've said _somethin'_ " Jack pointed out, shrugging.

I stood up and searched my pocket for something. "Damn, I need a cigar..." I mumbled. Then I recalled that I had dropped it back at Tibby's after I burned myself. Reluctantly abandoning the idea, I started pacing instead.

"I don't get her, Jack! I really don't!" He watched me quietly as I walked back and forth on the wood floor, flailing my arms as I spoke. "I mean, her mood swings drive me crazy! One minute she's fine, 'nd da next she's spazzin' out ova somethin'." By this time, I wasn't sure if Jack was even listening to my rambling anymore. I'm not sure that I cared either way.  
"'nd she drives me absolutely nuts sometimes, but strangely all I wants to do is be wit her every second of every day!" I put my hand back up to my forehead and collapsed on the nearest bunk bed. I was usually calm and collective, in control of every thought, action, or statement. _What's happening to me?_

Cowboy was quiet as he let everything that I just said sink in. "Hah. I neva thought dis day would come." He said, standing up and leaning his shoulder against top of the bunk bed I had collapsed on. "What day." I asked simply, staring at the underside of the bunk above me.

"Well, it sounds to me dat you'se in love wit her." He said matter-of-factly. I shook my head quickly, trying to deny it. "No. No, dat ain't true. You'se got dis _entire_ situation all wrong, Jack. Dere's no way..." I replied.

"She got into your head, Higgins. You'se got it bad." Cowboy pointed out, a barely noticeable smirk playing on his lips. I groaned and sat up. "A'right... So let's jus' say I am." I suggested. "What do I do now?"

Jack sighed as if the answer was obvious. "Well first off, Race... I'd suggest goin' afta her."

---

I ran down the lodging house stairs, hoping that she hadn't gotten too far by now. I wasn't in the mood to search all of New York City for a particular girl in the middle of a torrential downpour. However, I was still willing to nonetheless. If I had to, then I would.

When I reached the bottom, the lobby was filled with newsies for poker night. At least three times as many as there were normally. "Heya Race... Should we deal ya in?" Spot asked.

I shook my head quickly. "Anyone happen to see where—" Blink pointed to the door before I even finished. "Thanks." I replied.

"You'se shoah ya wanna go outside, Race? It's stormin' somethin' bad out dere..." Crutchy said. I ignored his comment, weaving in and out of the groups of guys scattered around the floor. "Ouch! Watch where you'se goin', Race!" Snipeshooter squealed as I accidentally stepped on his hand. "Suck it up, Snipe... I don't have da time." I muttered, finally making my way over to the door.

-------

Uh-oh... Racetrack's got his determined face on. What's gonna happen!?

Oh, it would be ever-so-simple to just completely twist the plot around on you guys...

Muahahhaa :)

Yeah. I'll admit. That was creepy. Sorry.

So, Like it? Hate it? Please review.

Thanks for reading. Honestly. Maria loves you.

One more chapter left.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from "Newsies"

Oh man, guys!! Last chapter :D

And here we go.

-START-

Aces Point of View 

I sat on the top stair of the lodging house stoop. The small awning over the door sheltered me from the downpour of the rain, but the rain rolled off the roof in sheets right in front of me.

With my chin in my hand, I stared off into the torrent of water. _Why did I have to freak out on him? Why couldn't I have just told him? I probably just blew the last chance I had..._

Almost on queue, the lodging house door opened and someone nearly toppled over me. "Oof!" Race exclaimed, knocking right into me. "Aces! You'se still heah!" He said.

"'Course I am. I don't have much of an option in this storm." I replied dryly. Racetrack quietly sank down next to me on the top step. Both of us were quiet as we awkwardly dodged glances. A few minutes passed in complete silence. _Now or never..._ I told myself. I took a deep breath and turned to him. "Racetrack..."

"Aces..." He had said my name at the same time I said his. I smiled slightly and blushed. "I gotta tell ya something." I mumbled. He shook his head quickly from side to side. "No... I gotta tell ya somethin' foist." I immaturely crossed my arms over my chest. "Why do you get to go first?" I asked.

"Because if ya say somethin' dat makes me lose me noive, I'se not shoah I'll ever have enough guts again to tell ya dis." He said. Content with his answer and interested in what he had to say, I raised my eyebrow and waited.

Race drummed his fingers on his knee and his foot tapped idly against mine, showing that he was nervous. His chest rose as he took a steady deep breath. "Da reason I offered to help ya get Dutchy was because I wanted to get closer to ya... I thought dat _maybe_, jus' by pure luck, somewhere in between pretendin' you jus' might start to feel somethin' real for me."

My heart began to beat out of my chest as I listened to him speak. "To be honest, when ya showed up at da lodgin' house as a guy, I actually felt some kinda attraction towards ya. I thought I was turnin' into Blink or somethin'..." He muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

Racetrack shook the thought from his head and continued rambling. "'nd da whole time you was wit Dutchy, I jus' kept telling myself dat I lost me chance to be wit ya. 'nd now... now I'se finally gonna admit dat really like ya, Aces. I might even love ya! 'nd all ya you'se can do is stare at me like I'se got t'ree heads!"

I hastily shut my mouth, realizing that it had dropped open halfway through Racetrack's spill of emotions. "You gonna say somethin'? ...or should I jus' go inside now, 'nd we can pretend I neva said nuttin'. Ya know, save ourselves da embarrassment."

Race sighed and nodded slowly when I didn't reply, pushing himself up from the stoop. "Yeeeaahh, I'se jus' gonna go inside now..." he muttered.

I couldn't seem to get any words to come out of my throat to stop him. As he turned to walk in the door, something came over me, powered by the thought of losing Racetrack again. I clasped the collar of his shirt. In one quick movement, I had pulled him down to my level and solidly pressed my lips against his. My stomach practically did a somersault as soon as we kissed. This time neither of us were pretending anymore... Not that either of us ever had been, but it was out there in the open now. What we felt for each other was real.

When I finally let go of his collar and pulled away, his eyes were wide open. "Dammit, Racetrack... Can't ya take a hint? I was after _you_ the whole time..." I whispered, holding his gaze with mine. He was still inches away from me. This time, _he_ was the one who couldn't seem to get his words out.

"Woah, dat was... Holy cow. Let's- Let's do dat again." He stuttered, suddenly leaning in and kissing me again.

----

When Racetrack and I entered the lobby a few minutes later, all the newsies were involved in one of several poker games that were going on around the room. "Mind if we join, fellas?" Racetrack asked the room as a whole.

Many of the groups chose to ignore us, too involved in the game to care that Race had asked a question. "Lata', Higgins... We'se in da middle of a game right now." Spot said, waving him away. "I'll tell ya when we start a new one, a'right? Den ya can join." Itey said from a different poker game across the room.

Racetrack sighed. He unlaced our fingers and let go of my hand, dragging two chairs over to a small side-table. Clearing the books off of it, he sat down on one of the chairs. "Let's jus' start our own game, Aces." He suggested, scooting the chair closer to the table. "It'll be foreva' before dose guys finish." He suggested. I shrugged and walked over to where he was, sitting in the chair across from our new "poker table."

I took my ever-present deck of cards out of my pocket and began to shuffle. "So how much we startin' at? How 'bout 5 cents, 'nd we'll work our way up from dere?" He said. I grinned and rolled my eyes. "Race, I told ya. I'm not gonna play poker with you for money. I've already been warned 'bout you and gambling."

Racetrack sulked. "But! Poker ain't no fun if we don't bet on somethin'!" He exclaimed. "So we'll find something else to bet on." I suggested. Race thought about it and snapped his fingers, getting that "I-have-an-idea" spark in his eye. "Got it." he said. "Okay, so here's our bet. If I win, den you'se gotta be me goil." He told me.

I laughed and shrugged at his suggestion, dealing out the cards. "Okay... but what if I win?" I asked. A smile formed on Racetracks' face. He stood up and leaned across the table, kissing me quickly but tenderly on the lips.

Racetrack pulled away just far enough so that he could look me directly in the eyes with the playful gleam that I loved about him. "Den it's a rematch."

THE END.

Yep. So that's it. And I didn't do a plot twist just to screw with your minds. You guys should be proud of me... It was ever so tempting.

Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed. --Especially-- ktkakes, peculiarjuliar, Orange socks and Polka Dots, and Pippa Kelly. Your reviews were both helpful and really nice.

I'd love to know what everyone thought of the story as a whole. Also, if anyone has any constructive criticism, please let me know :)

I've got a LOT more newsie fanfics on the way. Some I have written already, and some that I'm working on, but they're all going up here eventually.


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